UNITED NATIONS – The United States accused North Korea on Thursday of breaching a U. N. sanctions cap on refined petroleum by making illicit…
UNITED NATIONS – The United States accused North Korea on Thursday of breaching a U. N. sanctions cap on refined petroleum by making illicit transfers between ships at sea, according to a document seen by Reuters, and demanded an immediate end to all sales of the fuel. The United States submitted the complaint to the U. N. Security Council North Korea sanctions committee. The charge of a sanctions breach comes as Washington engages North Korea in a bid to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. The North Korea U. N. mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the U. S. accusation. North Korea relies on imported fuel to keep its struggling economy functioning. The United States said that as of May 30,89 North Korean tankers had brought in refined petroleum products illicitly obtained in ship-to-ship transfers this year. The United States did not say which countries it believed were illicitly providing North Korea with refined petroleum. Reuters in December reported that Russian tankers had supplied fuel to North Korea by transferring cargoes at sea. The 15-member Security Council capped refined petroleum product exports to North Korea at 500,000 barrels a year in December, down from a previous limit – adopted in September – of 2 million barrels a year.
